Waterproof product and process of making same



Oct. 2 1923.

C. E. RAHR ET AL WATERPROOF PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed Nov. 19.

, v Patented Oct. 2, 1923.

' in Fig UNH'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER E. BABE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WATERPROOF PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

Application led November 19, 1919. Serial No. 339,210.

To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHESTER E. RAHR and Lns'rna KIRSCHBRAUN, both citizens of the United States, residing, res ctively, in the city of Boston, county of State of Massachusetts, and the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Waterproof Products and Processes of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

VThis invention relates to improvements in waterproof products and process of making same and is directed more particularly to ornamental fiood coverings, ornamental wall boards or the like.

Among the objects 0f the invention are to produce a product which may be made from ordinary mineral surface so-called ready-made roofing of commerce, the ex posed face of which forms a smooth surface having the same appearance as an inlaid mosaic fioor; to produce a product of the character referred to in which the interstices of the particles of the mineral surfacing are filled with wate roof adhesive binder and in which the upper edges of the mineral surfacing are smooth and also ex osed so as to reproduce the natural color o this mineral surfacing; to produce a product which can be made from ordinary .mineral surface ready-made roofing and inY which if desired the mineralsurfacing may be applied in predetermined designs or configurations or in other words separated areas of different color; to produce a product which can be made by a simple attachment to the ordinary roofing machinery now in use in which after the mineral surfacing is applied, .a liquid emulsionof re-determined color is spread over the mlneral. surfacing, dried over hot rolls and the entire surface then ground down to the desired smoothness.

Fig. 1 is a face view showing the desi produced by grinding the surface of t e sheet.

Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 l. Re erring to the drawings, the sheet 1 is coated and surfaced 'with a granular sur-A facing shown at` 2. Uponthis granular surfacing is imposed a colored'emulsion such as that hereinafter explained, which colors the surfacing and fills the interstices between the fragmentary material. To prouffolk, and

duce the design effect, the granular surface is abra'ded or ground as shown at 3 to reveal the color of the surfacing material, that is the colored emulsion is removed and the surface of the granular material partially removed to show the mineral coloring of the broken fragments.

The design shown in Fig. l has a banded effect near the margin and diamond shaped figures arranged at predetermined positions in the central part of the sheet.

Attempts heretofore to use mineral surface ready roofingkas floor coverings have not been entirely successful, partly for the reason that the interstices between the mineral particles accumulate detritus or foreign matter and is not readily cleaned partly bey cause itdoes not give a smooth surface to walk on and partly because you cannot obtain an attractive ornamental effect.

The process of our invention may be carried out as follows: Ve first make an emulsion of a pitchy binder, water and an emulsifying agent; for' example. the residue of wax tailings produced from the distillation of petroleum wax tailings with superheated steam. (Animal or vegetable pitches that are colorable may be used or resins tempered with drying oilsas linseed oil, may be used.) -We then make a aste or solution of water and clay of colloidal characterand to this is gradually addedA the ptchv binder in a heated liquid condition with thorough agitation of the mix. This forms an emulsion which can be thinned with water and in which the binder is in the internal phase andthe water in the external phase.v To this emulsion is added a pigment or soluble dye of a pre-determined color and in quantities sufficient to thoroughly color the pitch.,

This emulsion is then applied to the mini eral surface of so-called mineral. surface ready-made roofing so as to completely fill the su erficial intersticies or voids inthe minera surfacing. The ready-made roofingY or floor covering, after this emulsion has been applied as above stated, is passed between suitable drying rolls to remove or evaporate the water content of the emulsion thus causing the articles of the pitchy binder to effective y coalesce and form a continuous matrix around the particles of mineral surfacing. This waterproof product then passes between abrading rolls in which the uppermost portions of the grit or loo mineral particles are abraded away to fiat surfaces which are exposed to view. In other.. words, a smooth surface is formed in which certain of the Grit or mineral particles have fiat upper surfaces at Ithe same elevation `as that of the colorable binder. This produces a mosiac effect. For example, if the mineral surface was Composed of crushed whlte stone, the background or matrix might be lfor example red. On the other hand, the. grit particles might be formed of green slateand the matrix brown. Any desired arrangement of colorsfmay be used. Also the mineral surfacing may be so applied to the felt base as to form alternating areas of different colors as green and red arranged in symmetrical designs, in which case the background or matrix should be of a different color than either.

The matrix labove referred to canv bel applied to the mineral surfacing of ordinaryroll roofing which has previously been made or can be applied as .part of a continuous operation with the formation `of the mineral surface roofing or flooring itself. `In the latter case, the roofing will be rela# tively hot at' the time the mineral surfacing is applied and emulsion can then be applied to a hot 'surface which may be hot enough inself to evaporate the water and permit the colored binder to coalesce.

We have heretofore stated that this product may be used as a flooring in which case it produces 'a much more durable and wear resisting 'covering because of the strength and wear resistance of the mineral particles; that is, in the case of printed floor coverings having a felt base that'are' now in use. It also permits of much more variation in'appearance and thus allows'of a more attractive product than in the case of the product last referred to; as for example. the mosaic effectreferred to.

Theproduct maybe also useful as wall boards for inte-rior use or for usev as asphalt shingles or in place ofthe exterior stucco finish. y

We claim as our invention:

l. A waterproofA covering consisting of a fabric base, an adhesive coating, a mineral surfacing applied thereto ,in designs of different colors, a waterproof matrix of a different color than lthat of lthe mineral surfacing, filling the interstices between the mineral surfacing, the upper surface of the covering being ground down so as to expose the color of the mineral surfacing.

2. waterproof covering consisting of a fabric base, an adhesive coating, a mineral surfacing applied thereto, a waterproof m-atrix of a different color than that of the mineral surfacing,A filling the interstices between the mineral surfacing, the upper surface of the covering being ground down facing. l.

3. A waterproof covering consisting of a foundation, a granular surfacing adhesivel ap-plied thereto, awaterproof matrix of di ferent color than the granular surfacing, lilling the interstices between the granular particles, and the exposed surfacing of the coveringI ground down or abraded down to expose the color of the granular particles `and forming a continuous'smooth surface.

4. A waterproof covering consisting of a foundation, a granulag surfacing adhesively applied theretoka waterproof matrix of different color than the granular surfacing, said matrix containing an adhesive waterproof binder and colloidal clay, lling the interstices between the granular particles and the exposed surfacing of the covering.

5. A new product consisting of a foundation, a granular surfacing applied thereto so as to remain in relatively fixed position so as to expose the colorV of the mineral surand a-matrix of predetermined color filling the interstices between the granular parti'- cles and containing a waterproof adhesive and colloidal clay.

6. A new product consisting of a foundation, a granular surfacing applied thereto so as to remain in relatively fixed position and a fusible material of pre-determined color filling the interstices or voids between the granular particles and the whole-ground down to form a .uniformly smooth surface in which the color of the granular particles is exposed.

7. A process of making a waterproof covering consisting in applying a waterproof matrix of pre-determined color in the voids of the granular surfacing of prepared roofing and then smoothing down the matrix and abrading the upper edges of the grannlar surfacing to form a uniformly smooth sheet in which the colo-r of the granular surfacing is exposed.

8. A process of making a waterproof product consisting in applying a granular facing to a foundation sheet so that the granular facing is in relatively `fixed position relative thereto and thenffilling the supericialjinterstices of the facing with a waterproof matrix of different color than the facing, said matrix being applied in the form of air emulsion containing an emulsifying agent and a waterproof binder.

9. A new product consisting of a foundation, a granular surfacing applied thereto so as to remain ina relatively fixed position, and a matrix of predetermined color filling the interstices between the granular particles and containing a waterproof binder .and an emulsifying agent. f

CHESTER E. RAHR. LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN.` 

